The present invention relates generally to an improved fuel for internal combustion engines, and particularly improved gasoline for gasoline burning internal combustion engines. The fuel is conventional gasoline to which the additive has been added, the additive having been found to improve engine performance and economy, thereby obtaining an increase in fuel economy. Either conventional fuels containing tetraethyl lead nor non-leaded gasoline may be improved with this material.
In the past, it has been observed that the addition of certain peroxides, including organic peroxides improves characteristics of engine fuels, particularly diesel fuel. Reference is made to U. S. Pats. Nos. 2,655,440 and 2,763,536. Traditionally, the guantities present are substantial and may vary from about 0.001 percent up to about 30 percent of peroxide.
The present invention includes the recognition that an additive containing small quantities of an organic peroxide specifically ditertiarybutyl peroxide along with a stabilizing solvent medium in exceptionally small concentrations provides a marked increase in fuel economy measured in miles per gallon, without sacrificing other performance characteristics of the fuel. The stabilizing solvent medium preferably contains ditertiarybutyl alcohol, with the presence of this substance being believed to enhance the overall stability of the formulation, particularly in a working solution of gasoline, and further provides reasonable mixing performance along with the best overall reproducible performance results.